By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
NORTHFIELD, Minn. — After back-to-back home doubleheaders over the weekend, the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota fastpitch softball team hits the road on Wednesday, traveling to Carleton's Ele Hansen Field for a 3:30 MIAC doubleheader against the Knights.
 
The Matchup:
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (1-3 MIAC, 5-13 Overall) at Carleton Knights (1-1 MIAC, 15-4 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
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Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—March 31, 2019 * Saint Mary's Field * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals dropped both of its conference games against St. Olaf, falling 3-2 in the opener, while suffering a 9-1, six-inning setback in the nightcap | Recap
• Carleton—March 31, 2019 * Edor Nelson Field * Minneapolis, Minn.: The Knights opened MIAC play by splitting a doubleheader against Augsburg, dropping a 1-0 nailbiter in the opener, before rebounding with an 11-4 triumph in the second game | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Carleton — Their Last Meeting:
• April 7, 2018 * RCTC Dome * Rochester, Minn.: The Cardinals — coming off a pair of losses to fifth-ranked Luther, including a 3-2, nine-inning heartbreaker in Game 2 — struggled to find their offensive mojo in the opening game of their MAIC doubleheader against Carleton, managing just four hits in a 3-0 Knight victory. The Knights continued to feast on Cardinal pitching in the nightcap, as Carleton scored twice in the first inning and added a combined seven runs in the fourth and fifth in dealing Saint Mary's a 10-2 Game 2 setback | Recap
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals return home to the Saint Mary's Field on Saturday, hosting Hamline in a conference doubleheader. Opening pitch for Game 1 is set for 1 p.m.
• Carleton: The Knights are back on their home diamond at Ele Hansen Field on Saturday, as Carleton entertains St. Catherine in a 1 p.m. MIAC twinbill.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• After opening the season with 14 straight road games, the Cardinals' last four games were all played on their home diamond. … With their 3-2 and 9-1 losses to St. Olaf last Sunday, the Cardinals have now been held to two runs or less in nine of their 13 losses. On the flip side, Saint Mary's 5-4 win over Gustavus in the opener last Saturday marked the first time this season they have scored more than three runs, and less than 10, in a victory. … Amber Chow (West St. Paul, Minn.) accounted for four of the Cardinals' six hits against St. Olaf last Sunday. The sophomore had Saint Mary's lone hit — and RBI single in the seventh — in its 3-2 Game 1 loss, while going 3-for-3 in the nightcap. … Chow has now recorded six hits in her last three games, having also delivered a pair of hits in last Saturday's 7-5 Game 2 loss to Gustavus. … Chow heads into the Cardinals' doubleheader against Carleton leading the team with a .300 batting average, followed by Justine Schultz (Winona, Minn. / .294) and Hallie Schmeling (Onalaska, Wis. / .288). … Chow, Schultz, and Schmeling all share the team lead with 15 hits, one more than Tara Nikolich (Chicago, Ill.), while Roni Stevens (Delano, Minn.) and Amy Kulaga (Riverside, Ill.) have scored a team-best eight runs. … Schultz owns the team lead in doubles (5), total bases (20), and slugging percentage (.390), while Schmeling holds down the top spot in RBIs (9) and Chow boasts a team-best .397 on-base percentage. … Saint Mary's boasts six players who have recorded their first hits in a Cardinal uniform this season. McKayla Ahlrich (Sleepy Eye, Minn.) had one of the Cardinals' five Game 2 hits vs. UW-La Crosse on March 28, while Signey Stoesz (Mountain Lake, Minn.) and Erin Sullivan (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) recorded theirs against Luther on March 15, and Kulaga, DeJaye Baab (Wabasha, Minn.), and Maria Averbeck (Lewiston, Minn.) collected their first collegiate hits during the Cardinals' 10-game spring trip. … The Cardinals are 9-for-11 in stolen base attempts — led by Schultz, who is a perfect 5-for-5. … The Cardinals boast 25 multiple-hit games — including the first two three-hit contests by Kulaga and Erin Sullivan (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.) against UW-La Crosse on March 28. Schultz leads the Cardinals with six multiple-hit games, while Schmeling, Chow, and Nikolich both own four. … Baab, Chow, and Stevens all recorded their first two-hit games during Saint Mary's spring trip. … Schmeling delivered her first career five-RBI game in the Cardinals' season-opening 10-9 win over Alma on Feb. 24. … Saint Mary's collected a season-high nine walks in their 3-2 Game 1 loss to St. Olaf last Sunday. It the most walks in a game since inducing nine walks from Macalester pitchers during the 2015 season. … Chow has made a team-leading 10 starts in the pitcher's circle, two more than Trendle. Chow has logged a team-high 66.1 innings, compiling a 2-6 record and 3.38 ERA, while Trendle boasts a 2-7 record and 4.67 ERA in 45.0 innings. … Stoesz has made six pitching appearances, going 1-0 with a 4.38 ERA in 8.0 innings. … Trendle has struck out a team-best 22 batters, three more than Chow. … Trendle struck out a career-high eight batters in the Cardinals' 1-0 win over Rose-Hulman on Feb. 25. … Stoesz pitched one inning of shutout, one-hit relief en route to her first collegiate pitching win in the Cardinals' season-opening, 10-9 victory over Alma. … The Cardinals' five runs in the first inning against Gustavus last Saturday marked the first time this season Saint Mary's has scored in their first at-bat. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 15-7 in the fifth inning, but have been outscored 16-6 in the first and 20-7 in the fourth. … The Cardinals have played eight one-run games, going 3-5. … The Cardinals are 3-2 when scoring first, but just 2-11 when their opponent plates the game's first run.
 
Scouting the Carleton Knights:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wednesday's doubleheader against Saint Mary's is the home opener for the Knights, who have played their first 19 games away from Ele Hansen Field this season. … Carleton's 1-0 loss to Augsburg in Game 1 last Sunday snapped the Knights' second four-game winning streak of the season. Carleton has also put together a pair of three-game win streaks this season — and have yet to lose back-to-back games. … Last Sunday's 1-0 loss to Augsburg marked the first time this season the Knights have failed to score at least one run. Carleton has now been held to two runs or less in three of their four losses. … Maris Daleo heads into the Knights' showdown with Saint Mary's owning a team-leading .507 batting average. She is one of seven Knights with 30 or more at-bats who are hitting above .300 — Anna Lauko (.424), Natalie Maurice (.415), Brooke McKelvey (.405), Maddie Sherwood (.314), Madison Collins (.309), and Mo McConnell (.300) are the others. … Along with her team-leading .507 batting average, Daleo also leads or shares the team in at-bats (67), runs (27), hits (34), total bases (40), on-base percentage (.550), and stolen bases (16). … Lauko and Maurice have each belted a team-best eight doubles, with Maurice also leads the team in RBIs (19), total bases (40), and slugging percentage (.615). … Sam Kile has launched three of the team's five home runs, with Maurice and Trina Eichel hitting the other two. … Carleton's six triples have come from six different players. … Carleton has used four different pitchers this season, led by Kile, who has compiled an 8-3 record and 1.66 ERA in a team-leading 67.2 innings. Sarah Ogle owns a 4-0 record and 2.90 ERA in 29.0 innings, followed by Sherwood (3-1, 3.65 ERA, 23.0 IP) and Logan Robinson (0-0, 4.42 ERA, 6.1 IP). … Kile has tossed a complete game in eight of her nine starts, while leading the team with 13 pitching appearances. … Kile, who has struck out a team-high 52 batters, also owns the team's lone shutout and its only save. … Carleton has outscored its opponents 138-59 — including 17-6 in the second inning, 25-6 in the third, and 23-3 in the fifth. … The Knights have scored 10 or more runs five times this season — including a season-high 18 runs in routing Bethany Lutheran 18-2 on Feb. 23. … Carleton has held its opponents to two runs or less in 10 of its 19 games, and has allowed more than six runs just twice. … Carleton is 9-2 when scoring in the first inning and 10-1 when plating the game's first run. … The Knights are unbeaten (11-0) when leading after the fourth inning.